Chelsea fans will have enjoyed yesterday, as one of the Blues’ busiest deadline days of recent times was topped off by the return of fan-favourite David Luiz.
The deal for the Brazilian came out of nowhere it seemed, with reports suggesting that Luiz himself was a pivotal factor in realizing the deal, claiming he had “unfinished business” with Chelsea.
But whilst it is great for fans to see an old favourite and a Character like Luiz return, it is also exciting to see what the Champions League winner can offer to the squad this time around; and there’s plenty.
First and foremost, he gives Conte a number of options. His versatility is testament to the fact that we still do not know for sure whether he has been signed primarily as a defender or a midfielder.
Chelsea have been quite publicly in the market for a centre-half during this window, which would suggest his acquisition is more as a defensive reinforcement, but that’s not to rule out a role in the middle of the park. He was also used as a full back by Chelsea a few times in his first tenure, a role he has been used in for PSG at the start of this season.
The next thing to consider is his eye for a pass. Despite an overall stellar performance against Burnley, one negative to take from the game was our distribution from the back, as too many sloppy passes went astray when playing out from defence. Luiz has the quality to improve on that and even look to create chances from the back, or even in a deep midfield role, with his brilliant long passing.
He also has a commendable turn of pace and and Chelsea fans will remember some of his fantastically powerful drives from deep to get an attack started. Whilst this is something Conte may want to eradicate from the Brazilian’s game if playing in defence, it’s no doubt a powerful tool to have in the midfield. Plus, He can be a serious threat when he gets into shooting range… Which for Luiz can be 40 yards!
Whilst he brings more creation than a lot of our defensive players with the ball at his feet, he provides arguably more of a direct goal threat than anyone in the squad with a dead ball at his feet. David Luiz is a pioneer of the modern free kick-taking centre-half which we had the pleasure of witnessing during his first spell at Chelsea, with his Didier-esc style, generating incredible dip and swerve with the inside of his foot.
As we saw with Willian last year, a threat from direct free kicks can be invaluable and a spark of brilliance can mean the difference between 1 point and 3 points. Will a Chelsea free kick twenty to thirty yards out once again be considered ‘David Luiz territory’? His fellow Brazilian might have something to say about that, but he will surely be high up in the pecking order.
During his first spell, he was described as erratic and boisterous, and his defensive brain was brought into question a lot of the time by football pundits. However, his Champions League final performance was faultless and demonstrated that on his day he is a very solid defender. Now at 29, he will have matured further and if anyone can get the best out of Luiz in terms of tactics and positioning, it’s Antonio Conte.
Luiz is a player that wears his heart on his sleeve and gives his all for the team he is playing for, and seeing as he himself made the deal happen, he clearly has a big place in his heart for Chelsea. Not only that, but he is hungry to win the Premier league, as it’s the big trophy that eluded him before. It’s that sort of mentality that made him so endearing to the fans in the first place and it’s something Conte loves to see in his players.
It may not have been Conte’s first choice signing in defence, but in essence, Chelsea are gaining two players with Luiz: a tough tackling defender and a technically gifted centre midfielder. This could turn out to be a great piece of business indeed!
